Some Sane Reflective Responses to Acts of Terror from Transition-ers.

These ideas are from a larger article by Erik Lindberg Posted on Transition Milwaukee Blog.  Read the entire post here:  http://transitionmilwaukee.org/profiles/blogs/sending-them-a-message .

1.        What we really need to do is change the way we live and stop consuming at a rate five times the global average.  Too often this also falls into the “political wish-list category” as we make bland and effectual calls for someone to “get us off of oil.”  But it doesn’t have to be relegated to the wish list.  We can join together and find collective ways to create strong and resilient communities that share, reuse, and live far more simply than we do now.  We can avoid discretionary air travel, live in smaller homes, and buy fare fewer new things.  We can get out our bikes, walk, and grow some vegetables in our yards.  In fact, we can turn our whole yards into vegetable gardens and orchards.  Our high rate of consumption is not caused by someone else.  It is us, and we need to take action and responsibility of our own accord.

2.       We need to apologize as sincerely and vocally as possible for what we have caused.  If we don’t have any good venues for the apology, then it is our job to create them.  If we are truly sorry, we will find a way to have our apologies heard.

3.       We could come together with our neighbors, our charitable groups, our religious communities, and adopt refugee families.  There is no gesture more powerful than inviting people into your home.  We talk to our children about taking responsibility for our actions, and our leaders blow overtime about a culture of responsibility.  Let’s actually live responsibly and add to it a culture of love and caring, by sponsoring families in need.  Let’s bring those looking for a new start in America to our cities and towns and at our expense.  Let’s find housing, help with employment, create a welcoming committee and provide space for people to tell their stories and describe their lives.  If we want to “send a message to those who hate us,” here’s a new one:  Come to our homes, share our food, allow us to wash your feet after your long journey.   They’ve heard the message our leaders, without a blink, have been sending.  Now it’s time for we the people to send an open-hearted, vulnerable, message of love and solidarity.